Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) The apostles, Peter and John, were put in custody because they had filled Jerusalem with the doctrine of Christ. The number of disciples grew rapidly during the early days of the church. (Acts 5:4). Thus, the rulers of Judaism questioned the apostles: "By what power or by what name have you done this?" (Acts 4:7) The answer of Peter and John rang loud and clear: "by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead." (Acts 4:10) The courage and resolve of Peter and John has the attention of the enemy. There was something very different about these two. It was not their remarkable intellect that got their attention. It was the boldness of the apostles that was worthy of note. Peter and John were standing courageously before the Sanhedrin. There was nothing apologetic about their demeanor. They stood fast as those courageously speaking for God. Their witness for Christ demonstrates a great change had taken place in their lives. Fishermen, Jews, once filled with fear, now bold and eloquently proclaiming a doctrine the enemy hates. They were passionately devoted to proclaiming the kingdom of God that men might be saved from sin. Even the enemy was impressed with their character. If we are attaining to heights in our spiritual growth, our daily behavior will manifest the spirit of Christ. Their witness testified of the new and guiding principle in their lives. This is the principle of love- love for God and love for lost souls. Peter’s words ring loud and clear: "We ought to obey God rather than men". (Acts 5:29) Their passion for souls is recorded in Acts 5:42: And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:42) We should always keep in mind that we are being watched, some times by friends, and some times by the enemy. Others will "take note" of us. If we easily fit into the world, something is wrong with our conduct. Let us be faithful at our post; speaking boldly for him. Let others observe and say: "they have been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

By George Slover    |    Visit www.smc

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”"  (Hebrews 12:11)
 
Bob Toledo, the head football coach at UCLA, once told his players: “I make you do things you don’t want to do so that you can become the players you want to be.”  That thought is so true in many phases of life.  The Olympic star, the successful businessman, the PHD, and the accomplished author all have one thing in common, namely hours of painful discipline.  They willingly submit to such so they can be the person they want to be.
 
God wants us live lives that honor Him in speech, action, and attitude. We must make it our desire to be the kind of person He wants us to be.  In order to arrive at the goal, we must change some of those bad habits.  Change is difficult and requires hours of training and discipline.  God doesn’t zap us with a magic potion that turns frogs into princes. Instead, he provides the tools necessary to achieve the task.
 
First, God provides a support group of Christians to allow for accountability.  "“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."” (James 5:16)  Confessions don’t come easy because of embarrassment, pride, and fear of how others will react, but it may be the only road to reaching the goal. 
 
Second, he asks us to exercise daily self-discipline and radical surgery to rid ourselves of those bad habits.  "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- "where 'their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'" “(Mark 9:43-44)  Such a challenge will tax the very heart and soul of an individual but is necessary to have the victory.
 
Third, God allows us to be subject to trials and difficulties of this world.  The loss of a family member, economic loss, or sudden loss of health can either make us or break us. There may be occasions when we don’t feel like persevering, but we must!  God allows us to be tried so that He can sharpen our character and strengthen our faith!
 
Who do you really want to be?  God has a wonderful plan for you.  He loves you enough to provide all that is necessary to succeed.  Accept the challenge and one day you will reap the rewards.
 
by George Slover
 


 

He answered him and said, 'O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.'"(Mark 9:19)
 
The occasion of the words mentioned above was sometime during the 3^rd year of the Lord’s earthly ministry.  A father’s son was possessed with a demon causing him to behave violently.  Though the Lord had given his apostles the authority to cast out demons, because of their lack of faith they had failed in healing this boy.
 
Fortunately, Satan has no power today to possess a person as he did during the time of miracles.  However, there is still an important lesson for modern disciples.  Our faithlessness mirrors the faithless activity of these early disciples.
 
While we do not live the age of demon possession, Satan is still exerting much influence in our world.  Personal lives, homes, communities, and local churches have been affected by his power to deceive and entice.   We ought to be able to help that poor “demon possessed” friend, but it could be said of us as well – “they could not”.  The disciples could not and we cannot.
 
In our unbelieving generation churches have tried every gimmick in the book to gain the numbers.  Those churches on the left have tried the allurement of the social gospel – “win ‘em with coffee and donuts, fun and games for the family, etc.”  Other churches who would oppose such tactics have pushed such gimmicks as – “you’ll really like our singing, or our preacher, or our Bible classes”.  All of the above-mentioned methods are carnal.  We forget about the One who has the power to solve our problems. 
 
“Bring them to me”, Jesus said.  Our job is not about the latest religious gadget, but about winning others to Christ.  He is the only one who can bring them into a right relationship with God.
 
George Slover

By George Slover    |    Visit www.smcofc.org or www.ibiblestudy.net

view email in browser | Unsubscribesanmarcoschurchofchrist@gmail.com | Update your profile | Forward to a friend